PROBIOTIC

Because your life could use a little more culture! Probiotic means “for life” and the friendly bacteria found in supplement and food form are really into improving your health. Thousands of years ago, Hippocrates declared that “All Disease Begins in the Gut” and it’s turning out that he may have been on to something! Modern science is now supporting this statement, linking poor gut health to a wide range of diseases. Here’s a fun fact: there are about as many bacterial cells in our body as there are human cells!

Intestinal flora play such an important role, and supplementing with Probiotics can really have a profound effect on promoting overall good health. In fact, 70% of the immune system is located in the intestine which makes sense when you consider that the gut is actually the gatekeeper responsible for allowing the passage nutrients while preventing toxins from entering our bloodstream. 

While the body of research around probiotics continues to grow, a number of clinical trials already support the use of probiotics for:

• Maintenance of overall good health
• Promotion of proper intestinal environment
• Stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract and systemic immunity
• Pregnancy support and improved immunity of newborn
• Prevention and treatment of:
  • Antibiotic induced diarrhea
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Vaginal yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis
  • Eczema
  • Food allergies 

Pregnancy is definitely a time to consider using probiotics as they can help with some of the classic woes of pregnancy, including diarrhea and constipation. Recent research looking into the effects of probiotics on decreasing the risk of preterm birth and gestational diabetes is quite promising. There is already evidence supporting the fact that the maternal microbiome has a definite impact on the fetal gut microbiome, including the observation that the moment the baby comes into contact with the maternal vaginal bacteria during delivery, the colonization of it’s gastrointestinal tract begins. 

Further to this, studies have linked common allergic disorders in babies such as asthma and eczema to mothers who have lower concentrations of Bifidobacteria (the primary organism introduced during delivery). The evidence is so compelling that the World Allergy Organization adopted the use of probiotics in their guidelines to help prevent allergies for (a) pregnant women at high risk for having an allergic child; (b) women who breastfeed infants at high risk of developing allergies; and (c) infants at high risk of developing allergies

The more we learn about the fact that one’s microbiome begins in utero, the more important it becomes to understand the need to set the stage for a diverse microbiome even before becoming pregnant. This can  help prevent bacterial infection during delivery and also help to support a healthy foundation for the immune function of the baby.

While supplements are a great way to ensure diversity, a diet rich in fermented foods is equally important and should be considered as adjunctive therapy to taking probiotics in pill form.